How popular culture gets Australian spy work wrong

The cloak-and-dagger exploits of characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne have shaped our cultural idea of spy work. But these films, made mostly in the US and UK, have little to do with the reality of Australian intelligence.

Fourty years of ASIO's unclassified history

Dr John Blaxland takes us through 40 years of Australian spy history, from KGB moles in ASIO to political activism in the 60s to the sophistication of espionage.

Professor Des Ball: The insurgent intellecutal

The Sydney Morning Herald publishes an article by Dr Nicholas Farrelly on the extraordinary life of Vale Professor Desmond Ball AO following his recent passing.

Official ASIO history says it was penetrated by foreign spies

An official history of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation has conceded it was penetrated by Soviet agents during the latter half of the Cold War, confirming suspicions held for decades about why the domestic spy agency struggled against Communist targets.

Politics podcast: John Blaxland on The Secret Cold War - The Official History of ASIO

In the third volume of The Official History of ASIO series, historians Dr John Blaxland and Dr Rhys Crawley examine the organisation’s role in the years leading to the end of the Cold War.

The Protest Years: history shows ASIO at its lowest ebb

Just before Christmas, some commentators challenged the wisdom of telephone calls by ASIO head Duncan Lewis to some Coalition members of parliament relating